Signaling system.



C. F. MEAD.

SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 5, 1911.

1,164,737. Patented Dec. 21, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

; 1 I r l 1 C. F. MEAD.

SIGNALING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 5, 1911.

1,164,737. Patented Dec.21,1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

7 JEN/5272271.

q WW

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL F. MEAD, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

SIGNALING SYSTEM.

Application filed December 5, 1911.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CARL F. MEAD, a citi zen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signaling Systems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in signaling systems generally and particularly to such devices utilized in giving calls in shops.

More specifically the invention relates to a signaling system preferably electric, com prising a suitable source of current supply, a series of bells, lights or other signals ar-. ranged about the shop and adapted to be operated by suitable mechanism comprising individual contact making devices, one for each call, and comprising a rotating member provided with contact points adapted to cooperate with a movable contact which is shifted by the operator.

The invention also contemplates the employment of a suitable locking device for the several keys to prevent the actuation of the remaining keys after the movement of one, and also comprises a locking device for holding the signal, or in other Words repeating the signal until the desired party has answered.

The invention may be further briefly summarized as consisting in the construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth in the following description, drawings and claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view showing the device; Fig. 2 is a section upon the line 22 of Fig. 1 looking toward the right; Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a portion of the device; Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of a portion of the device. Fig. 5 is a section upon the line 5-5 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing the wiring and circuits, and Fig. 7 is a detail view of the latch for the locking plate.

In carrying out the invention any preferred form and construction of parts may be employed so long as they possess the necessary characteristics, but I have shown one form in the drawings, which is highly effective in operation, and in such embodiment 1 represents a suitable base upon which is mounted a suitable condenser 2, a choke coil 3 and motor 4 which is provided with a suitable pulley 5 driving a belt 6 connected to the signal operating and selectingdevice.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 21, 1915.

Serial No. 663,986.

The signal operating and selecting device comprises a standard 7 and a standard 8, both of which are secured to the base in any suitable manner. 7 is a fiber or other insulating block 9 having an opening therein for receiving a shaft 10 which passes through an insulating bushing 11 in the standard 8 and out to one side thereof where it is provided with a gear 12 meshing with a pinion 13 mounted upon a shaft 14 supported on a suitable bearing in the standard 8 and in a supporting bracket 15 secured to the base. This shaft 14 is provided with a pulley 16 adapted to receive the belt 6. The gear 12 is mounted on an insulating sleeve 12, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to insulate the gearing from the shaft 10. Secured to the shaft 10 are suitable contact disks 17, each of which is provided with one or more contact points 18 and the several contacts of these disks cooperate with corresponding movable contacts, and a description of one will sufiice for them all, there being the same number of shiftable or movable contacts as there are contact wheels.

Secured to the standards 7 and 8 are transverse strips 19 and 20 respectively. Each of these strips is provided with a downwardly extending portion 21 in which is mounted a shaft 22 which receives at intervals the movable contacts. Each of these contacts comprises a rod 23 loosely mounted upon the shaft 22 but held against endwise movement with respect thereto and normally drawn upward by a spring 24 hav ing its opposite end secured upon a rod 25 mounted in suitable extensions 26 carried by the strips 19. Each of the rods 23 is provided with an insulating block 27 provided with a leaf contact 28 which is adapted when the lever 23 is moved downward to assume a position in the path of the contact projections or teeth 18 of the corresponding disk 17. This is clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 in dotted lines. Suitable locking mechanism is provided for these contact levers for locking the actuated lever against returning to normal position, and locking the remaining levers against operation from normal position. Secured to the standards 7 and 8 are suitable guides 29 and 30 having guideways therein for receiving a sliding plate 31 provided with a short longitudinal slot 32 and a diagonally disposed slot 33. These slots communicate forming substantially one slot having the two portions, and

Secured to the standard there is one for each one of the contact levers 23 as shown partly in Fig. 3. This plate is normally shifted to the left, as shown in Fig. 3, by means of a spring 34 engaging in an opening in a projection 35 carried by the plate at one end and in a suitable projection 36 forming a part of a plate 37 which is rigidly secured to the guides, as shown in Fig. 3. This plate is provided with vertical slots 33 and the arrangement of these parts is such that when a contact lever is depressed it naturally travels down its slot 38 and shifts the plate 31 to the right, as shown in Fig. 3, by reason of the engagement of the rod with the wall of the portion 33 of the slot. In the meantime the other contact levers are locked by reason of the fact that the movement is permitted by the rods engaging in the slots 32 but none of the other levers can be depressed by reason of the fact that they will pass down against the positive shoulder forming the lower edge of the slot 32.

In order to lock the plate 31 in its position to the right, during the rotation of the contact disks, suitable mechanism is provided and it comprises a boss 39 mounted upon a screw 4-0 secured in the standard 3. This boss carries a latch 41 provided with a tapered nose portion 42 adapted to engage in an opening 43 shown in the plate 31 in Fig. 4. The walls of the opening 43 in the plate 31 are tapered from the latch side to the opposite side to facilitate the entry of the tapered nose portion of the latch, and at the same time to present a narrow edge for engagement with the latch when the plate is locked, so that there will. not be a great resistance to the movement of the latch due to the friction between the plate 31 and the latch. The stationary plate 37 is provided with an opening 39 for receiving the bevel nose of th latch when it projects through the movable plate 31 so as to present a rigid means for the movable plate. This engagement takes place when the plate 31 is shifted to the left, as shown in Fig. 4, or to the right, as shown in Fig. 3, and this engagement is brought about by means of a spring 44 connected to an arm 45 se cured in the boss 39. In order to unlock the plate upon the completion of the signal or upon a complete rotation of the contact disk shaft 10, the shaft 10 is provided with a collar 46 carrying a cam 47 adapted to engage a projection 48 forming part of the arm 45 and of a height such that when the projection 47 engages this cam, the arm 45 will be shifted, causing the latch 41 to be withdrawn from the opening 43, thereby releasing the plate 31 and permitting it to return to its normal position by the action of its spring and by the action of the spring 24 upon the contact lever which has been depressed. When the cam 47 presses the projection 48 the latch 41 returns to normal position with its end engaging the face of the plate 31.

In order to bring about the closing of the circuit upon the depression of a key suitable switch mechanism is provided and it comprises a lever 49 swiveled upon a suitable screw or pin 50 secured to a stationary part of the frame and having a downwardly extending portion provided with a knife switch member 51 adapted to complete the circuit between two leaf spring switch members 52 and mounted upon a suitable insulating lock 54- secured to the base. The upper end of this lever is provided with a slot 55 adapted to receive a pin 56 secured in the plate 31 and passing through a slot 57 in the stationary plate 37. By means of this switch mechanism, the circuit is completed between the contacts 52 and 53 when the plate 31 is shifted to the right by reason of the fact that the lever 49 will be rocked in a clockwise direction bringing the switch member 51 into engagement with the contacts.

It may be desirable at times to sustain a signal given until it is answered, and in this case a suitable latch 58 is mounted upon a stationary part and is provided with a notch 59 adapted to engage the projecting pin 56 carried by the plate 31. This latch 58, howver, is normally held in its upper position by means of a spring 60 and is held down by a key bar 61 provided with a shoulder 62 adapted to engage under the fixed stop 63, the opening in this stop being suflicient to permit the downward movement of the bar for the engagement of the shoulder 62 under the same. The signal system comprises a series of bells 64 which are arranged in parallel on the bell circuit to be described but the ar angement is preferably such that when the circuit is completed through any one of the contacts, all of the bells will be sounded or all of the signals will be operated to give a signal.

The circuit and wiring for the system will now be described.

65 and 66 represent the incoming wire supplying the ordinary lighting circuit or a suflicient current to operate the device. Tracing the incoming wire first, it passes to a switch 67 which when closed permits the current to flow to a wire 63 which continues to the motor 4. A wire 69 is connected between the motor and the switch (37 and forms one member of the bell circuit. At this point the description will proceed with the current as it flows to or from the motor. The current passes from the motor through a line or wire 70 to the switch contact 52. The current then traverses the switch member 51 to the other switch contact 53 and from thence to the wire 66. The motor is therefore set in operation when the switch sisal member 51 is brought into engagement with the contacts 52 and 53 provided of course that the switch 67 is closed. The connections for the remaining half of the bell circuit will now be described.

Connected to the wire 71 a wire 72 which leads to a suitable choke coil 3 and a Wire 73 leads from the choke coil to a brush 11 which bears against a disk 10 secured to the shaft 10. The current then passes through the shaft 10 to the several contact disks and thence to the contacts 28 to a wire or line 7i which forms the other side of the bell circuit. In order to absorb the are caused by the engagement of the projections carried by the disks with their several contacts, a line 7 5 connects to the contacts with a condenser which in turn is connected by a line 77 with a brush 13 engaging a disk 12 mounted upon the shaft 10.

In using the device, the operator shifts the switch 67 which closes the circuit to the machine so that current is supplied for several operations lVhen it is necessary to give a call, the operator depresses a key having a number corresponding to the call with the result that the plate 31 is shifted to the right as shown in Fig. 3 carrying with it by means of the pin 56 the upper end of the lever l9 when the switch member 51 will be thrown into engagement with the contacts 52 and 53, thus closing the motor circuit and also closing the bell circuit except for the gap made through the contact devices for giving the several signals. The motor then starts its operation and drives the shaft 10 in a clockwise direct-ion, as shown in Fig. 2. The contact points 18 then engage successively the corresponding leaf contact 28 carried by the corresponding contact lever completing the hell or signal. circult and completing the circuit to the signals. The plate 31 being held during the rotation of the shaft 10 by the latch all entering the opening l3 in the plate, the tapered portion of the latch insuring the engagement and tending to force it into the proper position. If the operator wishes the signal to be repeated. he depresses the bar 61 and looks it thereby locking the plate 31 and preventing its return. Upon the release of the bar 61, however, the plate 31 is free to return to normal position at the end of the signal when the projection 17 will en gage the cam 48, raise the arm 15 and release the plate 31.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. Circuitclosing mechanism for signaling systems comprising a frame, a motor for driving said mechanism, a circuit closing device for said motor, a plurality of movable circuit closing devices each carrying contacts corresponding to a signal, a plurality of manually operated contact levers each provided with a contact adapted when the lever is operated to move into the path of the corresponding circuit closin device, a guiding plate for said manually operated levers, a locking plate in the path of all of said contact levers and adapted to be shifted by any one: and when shifted to lock the remaining levers, means for holding the locking plate in its shifted position during the movement of the movable circuit closing devices and to thereby lock the operated lever, means for moving said circuit closing devices and means actuated by the locking plate for operating the circuit closing device for the motor.

Circuit closing mechanism for signaling systems comprising a frau'ie, a motor, a circuit closing device for said motor, a plu rality of movable circuit closing devices each carrying contacts corresponding to a signal, a plurality of manually operated contact levers each provided with a contact adapted when the lever operated to move into the path of the corresponding circuit closing device, a guiding plate provided with slots for guiding said manually operated contact levers. there being a slotfor each lever, a locking plate in the path of all of said contact levers and adapted to be shifted by any one and when shifted to lock the remaining levers. means for holding the locking plate in its shifted position during the movement of the movable circuit closing devices and to thereby lock the operated l-e ver, and means actuated by said locking plate for operating the circuit closing device for the motor.

3. (lircuit closing mechanism for signaling systems comprising a frame. a plurality of rotatable circuit closing devices each carrying contacts corresponding to a signal, a plurality of manually operated contact levers each provided with a contact adapted when the lever is operated to move into the path of the corresponding circuit closing device, a guiding plate rigidly mounted provided with a plurality of slots for receiving manually operated contact levers one for each lever, a locking plate slidably mounted adjacent to the guiding plate in the path of all of said contact levers and adapted to be shifted by any one and when shif ed to lock the remaining levers, and a latch for holding the locking plate in its shifted position during the rotation of the circuit closing devices and to thereby lock the operated lever. and motor means for rotating said circuit closing devices and set in motion by the operation of any one of said levers.

at. Circuit closing mechanism for signaling systems comprising a frame, a plurality of rotatable circuit closing devices each carrying contacts corresponding to an indication, av plurality of manually operated contact levers each provided with a contact adapted when the lever is depressed to move into the path of the corresponding circuit closing device, a locking plate in the path of the corresponding circuit closing device a locking plate in the path of all of said contact levers and adapted to be shifted by any one thereof and When shifted by the depression of one lever to lock the remaining levers a tapered latch adapted to engage an opening in the locking plate and hold the 10 same against returning to normal position during the giving of a signal, motor means, and means actuated by said plate for closing the circuit through said motor means upon the depression of any lever.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature 15 in presence of two Witnesses. v

GAR-L F. MEAD. Witnesses G. O. FARQUHARSON, C. H. Tnnson.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

